Ephesians 6:15
“and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace”.
This is the continuance of the section on spiritual armor. The goal is stated three times in the passage, to stand firm. Footwear is important, especially for a soldier. A foot stomp could eliminate someone. Also, standing firm is helped with the proper shoes.
Our shoes are the gospel. Shoes speak to one’s foundation. Our foundation is the gospel. It’s all that we are. Being a christian isn’t part of one’s bio. It’s not “I’m a christian, a teacher, cars are my hobbie, etc.” It’s “I’m a christian who happens to teach, who likes cars, etc.”. Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Reading commentaries on the word, peace in this context, brought some insight. Here’s what I took from them. God gives a christian peace in his heart, so fight to keep it. To be at peace with God, means we are an enemy of the devil. Resist temptations and hold to God and His ways.
Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.” This is to be a mark of a christian. It is a wonderful trait. We all still face things that make us anxious. We learn not to let anxiety reign in our hearts. That is a skill to be learned. God has the peace ready to give. We learn to arrest the anxious thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5). We de-throne them.
God is our strength and part of that strength is manifested in the peace in our hearts. When that peace is interrupted, our strength wanes. Anxiety could do that. So can unconfessed sin. That’s why Jesus says to deal with a disagreement with a brother before worshipping Him. Resolve sin and differences.
Peace in our hearts is a sign that all is well with God and us. It’s a blessing that it flees when we step out of line. A bell rings. We don’t restore things to get that peace back, but to make things right with God.
The devil wants to destroy our peace with God. He knows how important that is. He can put doubts in us, he can cause us to fall into temptation, he will condemn us. All to interrupt our relationship with God.
It’s an interesting thought that we can have peace while in a battle. War and peace are opposites. It’s that peace which makes us a target from the devil. It threatens him. That peace is attractive to those that don’t have it. The devil could lose some of his subjects that were drawn to God’s peace.
God’s peace is a blessing that He gives His children. It’s far more than a lack of conflict. I could almost compare it to a high that one receives while on drugs. Not a crazy high that cocaine would give, but a satisfying, low key one. (I have no experience with drugs. I speak from what I’ve heard). Romans 8:16 explains part of it, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” God is in us communing with our spirits. I’m not sure how peace fits in with all that, but it’s a part of “God with us”.
God’s peace is a healthy addiction. We were created to have it. God’s peace was forfeited at the fall. Jesus reclaimed it at the cross. Jesus restored our relationship and along with it comes His peace. Those that know, don’t want to live without it. We receive it when we confess our sins and accept His forgiveness. It’s all or nothing. We can’t have it without Him.
Lord, thank You for Your peace. It is a blessing. Thank You for teaching us how to fight for it. Thank You for showing us that the devil wants to rob us of it and how to resit that.